Smallville and Supernatural…OMFG

By: Gay.com

5.16.2008

If you’re like me, it’s been hard to be shocked by mainstream television the last few years. I grew up in the pre-CW era, back when the WB ruled television with a green frog and Jessica Biel was the poster child for a Christian family. I saw Felicity cut her hair, Buffy sacrificing her life to save the world, and Joey picking Pacey over Dawson. We’ve been through it all with the WB/CW. You can’t shock us, unless Shannon Doherty agrees to come back for the 90210 spinoff this fall. And yet, after last night’s season finales for both Smallville and Supernatural, I find myself a bit uneasy the next morning.

Let’s first start with Supernatural. Right off, we all know Jensen Ackles is not leaving the show. He’s a main star and the dogma of the series rests on the idea of two brothers weathering an impending demonic war. But I can’t help wonder how the writers plan on brining Dean back. On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it was as easy as having Willow do a resurrection spell. But that level of magic has not been explored in the Supernatural-verse. Can we expect another deal with a demon that would somehow tie in to Sam’s “demonic” side? Also, I was disappointed with the final scene. Why is Dean rotting in hell with all his clothes on? I was expecting some mild-PG-13 nudity and was heavily disappointed. Now, the series has never been sexually explicit. But I think its fair to say boot cut jeans and white v-cut tees are hard to come by items in hell.

And then there is Smallville. Yes, Lex has found out Clark’s secret and the entire Fortress of Solitude has been destroyed. As a comic book fan, I wonder what is Smallville’s point of no return. The series seems content on redefining the Superman mythos: Lois and Clark went to high school together, Lana married Lex, and the Justice League was formed way before Clark wore blue tights. So, the question ultimately begs can Lex honestly know Clark’s secret going forward? Lex is a pretty powerful guy and can easily expose Clark to the world. In doing so, that would destroy the concept of Superman. One of the main staples of the Clark Kent/Superman secret identity is seeing Clark struggle with both of them on a daily basis. Where would the dynamic between Lois and Clark be without that tension of her finding out?

Now, I don’t care if Lex knows Clark’s secret. In fact, I would find it refreshing. But I’m afraid the writers will find some way to reverse it In the Golden Age of Comics, you could easily do this by introducing a mind-warping machine in the last panel. However, the Myspace generation looks for intelligent stuff and things aren’t always that easy anymore. During the Marvel Comics Civil War event last summer, Spider-man unmasked himself to the entire media and to undo this, Marvel had to re-write the whole Spiderman universe just to get him to have his secret identity once more. With all the major cast changes coming to Smallville next season 8, I’m a bit uneasy about the whole process. Will the series still be what we love today?